Device for throwing railway-switches.



No. 888,409. PATENTED'MAY 19 E. N. STROM.

DEVICE FOR THROWING RAILWAY SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED 1'33. 1, 1908.

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APPLIOATION FILED PHI]. 1, 1908.

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DEVICE FOR THROWING RAILWAY SWITCHES.

APPLICATION TILED FEB. 1. 1908.

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No. 888,409. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908. E. N. STROM.

DEVICE FOR THROWING RAILWAY SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILE .1, 1908.

D FEB 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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' DEVICE FOR THROWING RAILWAY SWITCHES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1, 190B.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

EUGENE N. STROM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO PETTIBONE, MULLIKEN &00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR THROWING- RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 1, 1908. Serial No. 413,823.

Patented May 19, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE N. STROM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Devices for ThrowingRailway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a novel embodiment ofspring-device in connection with a switch in a railway track, whichshall serve to automatically complete the throw of the switch after ithas been started by hand and insure the full throw in every instance,while resiliently holding the switch in its set position.

I have more especially devised my improvement for use with asplit-switch 0 erated from a switch-stand, and therefore il ustrate itin that connection in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is abroken plan view of a railway track containing a split switch equippedwith my improvement; Fig. 2, a broken view showing a switch-stand inelevation with my improvement applied thereto Fig. 3, a similar view ofthe same regarded at right-angles to the view presented in'Fig. 2; Fig.4, an enlarged plan section on line 4, Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a section takenat line 5 on Fig. 4, and viewed in the direction of the arrow, butshowing the crank on the switchstand spindle and the spring-deviceengaging therewith in the dead-center position; Fig. 6 is an externalview of the spring throw-completing device, showing its preferredconstruction; Fig. 7, a similar view of the same regarded at aright-angle to the presentation in Fig. 6, and Fig. 8, a section on line8, Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a broken plan view showing, as a modification, myimprovement applied directly to a switch-bar, and Fig. 10, a section online 10, Fig. 9.

While any desired construction of switchstand 11 may be used, thatillustrated in volves a base 12 from which rise the upwardly converginglegs 13 joined at their upper ends by a head 14, through which passesthe retary spindle or target-rod 15, journaled at its lower end in thebase 12, and carrying near the base a crank 16; and above the head issecured upon the spindle a collar 17 having an extension 18, to whichthe operating[ handle 19 is pivoted at 20.

t will be observed that the switch-stand is devoid of the usualperipherally-notched table for confining the operating-lever at the endsof its throws to lock the switch, such table being rendered unnecessaryby my improvement hereinafter described.

The crank 16 is connected in a usual way by a connecting-rod 21 with aswitchbar 22 joining the similar point-rails 23, 23 of the split-switch,which is laid between the main rails 24, 24. On the spindle, above thecrank 16, is secured, to extend alinin ly therewith, at the oppositeside of the spin lo, a second crank-arm 25, bifurcated at its outer end,as represented in Fig. 5, where it carries a pin 26.

A bearing 27, shown of yoke-sha e, is detachably secured on the base 12an has ivotally confined in it the rail-throw-com eting spring-device ofmy improvement ilustrated in detail in Figs. 6 to 8, inclusive, anddescribed as follows: A sleeve 28, closed at one end and open at itsopposite end, is provided near its open end with o positely extendingtrunnions 29, 29, at w ich, respectively, it is journaled in the base 12and the top of the yoke 27. With this sleeve telescopes an inner sleeve30, open at its inner end and closed at its outer end, the latterterminating in a forked head 31 to engage with the pin 26 of thecrank-arm 25; and a stifI-spiral spring 32 is confined between theclosed ends of the telescoping sleeves, which thus afford an expansibleand contractible housing for the spring. For a purpose hereinafterdescribed, a perforated ear 33 is provided on the sleeve 28 at its openend, and a similar car 34 extends from the closed end of the sleeve 30,these ears being designed to receive a bolt 35 removably fastened by anut 36 to temporarily hold the sleeves together against the tendency ofthe spring to separate them.

To set the spring-device into 0 erative position in connection with theswitcli-stand, the yoke 27 may be removed to permit one trunnion 29 tobe adjusted in the base 12 and to engage the forked head 31 with the pin26 of the crank-arm 25, the spindle then being turned to the position atwhich the crank 25 will be on a dead-center with the trunnions 29, theoperator holding the s indle, by the handle 19, at that position, an thespring 32 being confined by the bolt 35 under its highest tension.Thereupon the yoke 27 is fastened in place to journal the spring-deviceat its respective trunnion 29. The bolt 35 may then be removed to permitthe spring 32 to expand to the minimum extent of its compression,thereby permitting it to turn the spindle (then released by theoperator) to the position in which the crank 16 will be set for holdingat one end of its throw the switch through the medium of theconnecting-rod 21. This is the positionof the parts represented in Fig.4. Whenever a brokenor worn-out spring-device is replaced by a new one,the operation is performed in the manner described, and it is requiredthat the spring-device shall be furnished with its telescoping sleevessecured together against the separating tendency of the spring confinedin them, as by means of the bolt 35, since otherwise it would obviouslybe impracticable to adjust the spring-device in lace. With the partsthus assembled, to t row the switch the operator, by manipulating thehandle 19, turns the spindle to the position at which the pivot of thecrank-arm 25 and the trunnions 29 just pass the dead-center, therebycompressing the spring 32 to its maximum tension at the dead-center,immediately upon passing which the recoil of the spring completes thethrow, the operator having released the handle when the dead-center ispassed. As will thus be seen, the operator merely has to start thethrow, which is completed automatically and, of necessity, fully,thereby always insuring completeness of the throw of the switch andavoiding the possibility of accident from failure in completing thethrow. Moreover, the automatic action of the springdevice enables theoperator to throw the switch very quickly and without giving the matterany further attention after starting it in the manner described, sincethe expansion of the spring must necessarily complete it even to theextent of insuring abutment of the switch-rail against the res ectivelyadj acent main rail where wear etween them would otherwise prevent themfrom meeting. As will also be understood, because of the resilientpressure with which the spring holds the switch in its thrown position,the flanges of wheels may run through the switch and throw it withoutinjuring the mechanism.

Instead of applying the spring-device immediately to the switch-stand inthe manner described, it may be directly applied to the connecting-bar21, or to a switch-bar 22 as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. For suchapplication a lower bearing-plate 37 is provided to extend between thetwo ties 38, 39 defining the space in which the switch-bar works, thisplate being bolted through depending flanges to the opposing sides ofthe ties, and an upper bearing-plate 40 (shown by dotted representationin Fig. 9) is bolted at one end to spacers 41 rising from and integralwith the plate 37, to extend over the upper plate.

journaled in these bearing-plates as shown,

and the forked-head 31 engages a stud 42 between a pair of arms 43extending rigidly from the switch-bar at a right-angle thereto.

The operation is the same with the modified construction as that alreadydescribed. Namely, to throw the switch the operator manipulates thehandle 19 to turn the spindle and thereby, through the connectiontherewith of the switch-bar, shift the latter to compress the spring 32until the springde.

vice and the arms 43 attain a dead-center, on passing which the recoilof the spring will finish the movement of the switch-bar and completethe throw of the switch.

The gist of my invention consists in so applying a spring, underconfinement, to a switch that a partial throw of the switch by hand willeffect such compression of the spring as will cause the recoil thereofto automatically complete the throw and since this principle may beapplied in various ways and may be embodied in various forms ofspring-devices, it is my intention to be understood as including withinmy invention such various ways and forms of embodiment.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Incombination with a railway-switch, hand-operated means for starting thethrow of the switch, and a coiled-spring confined for longitudinalcompression and expansion in a contractible and extensible housing withone member of said housing secured to a stationary support and the othermember thereof having a connection with said switch to tension thespring by the initial hand-operation of said means past the dead-centerin said connectionand thereafter free the spring to complete the throwby its recoil.

2. In combination with a railway-switch, hand-operated means forstarting the throw of the switch, and a spring-housing formed oftelescoping members with a spring confined therein, one member of saidhousing being pivotally secured on a stationary support and the othermember having a connection with said switch to tension the spring by theinitial hand-throwing-operation of said means past the dead-center insaid connection and thereafter free the spring to complete the throw byits recoil.

3. In combination with a switch-stand having a rotary spindle providedwith an operating handle and a crank for connection with arailway-switch, a spring-device consisting of a housing formed oftelescoping members and a spring confined in the housing to be tensionedby turning said handle, one of said members being pivotally supported onthe switch-stand and the other member having a crank-connection withsaid spindle, for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination with a switch-stand The trunnions 29 of thespring-device are having a rotary spindle provided with an operatinghandle and a crank-arm for connection with a railway-switch, a secondcrank-arm on the spindle, a bearing secured on the switch-stand base,and a spring-device consisting of a housing formed of telescopingmembers and a spring confined in the housing, one of said members beingpivotally supported on said base and the bearing thereon and the othermember being connected with said second crank-arm and actuated tocompress the spring by turning said handle, for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination With a switch-stand having a rotary spindle providedwith an operating handle and a crank-arm for connection with arailway-switch, a second crank-arm on the spindle and a spring-deviceconsisting of a housing formed of telescoping sleeves with a boltreleasably fastening them together near their outer ends and a springconfined in said sleeves, one sleeve being pivotally fastened on thebase of said stand and the other sleeve terminating in a bifurcated headengaging said second crankarm, for the purpose set forth.

EUGENE N. STROM.

In presence of A. U. THoRIEN, R. A. SGHAEFER.

